Homage
by TwoCentsForFree
Summary: It was like a siren went off in his head... Why Dennis Hofferman decided to audition for Cabaret. Takes place before season 3 episode, "Willkommen"


**A/N: So this is my first (and only) _Cold Case_ fic. Here's the deal--"Willkommen" is the only episode of the show I'll watch. And that's because Adam Pascal is in it. I love him, and I love Dennis Hofferman. Adorable!!! (Oddly enough, Adam Pascal sang the Emcee in _Cabaret_ on Broadway...) So I saw a performance of RENT over the weekend, and actually met Adam after the show. Such a nice guy. And that is what gave me the drive to post this.**

**So R&R and tell me whatcha think. I'm not holding out much hope… =0/**

**I don't own…**

Homage

"It was like a siren went off in his head." Why Dennis Hofferman auditioned for _Cabaret_. Takes place before season 3 episode, "Willkommen."

The taxicab inched down the crowded city streets. The lunchtime rush would normally be enough to get on any driver's nerves, but Dennis Hofferman didn't mind. He relaxed his grip on the steering wheel and cranked up the radio, singing along with the song he heard. That's what got him through the difficult days.

Music.

It was something he'd always loved, a trait he'd inherited from his mother, he was sure. As he continued along the route, something caught his eye. A marquee outside a theatre announced that there were to be open auditions for _Cabaret_.

_A musical_, he thought. He'd never really liked theatre. _Too queer_. But there was something about this one. _Cabaret _struck a chord with him, somehow…

_(Flashback: 1985)_

_The front door opened, and the young man stepped inside. Eighteen-years-old, he was looking for many things. A job, a decent car, a girlfriend, and a distraction. His first semester of community college had just begun, but even that wasn't enough to take his mind off of what worried him most. _

_"Dennis, you're home, good." His mother sat on the living room couch, watching television. She smiled up at him, and he forced himself to smile back. She'd been sick quite a while, now. The doctors said they would try everything they could to shrink the tumor, but so far, no treatment had worked. It pained him to see her so frail. "How was school?" He shrugged. _

_"All right, I guess." He started off down the hallway toward his bedroom, but the sound of her voice stopped him.. _

_"Oh, Denny, look--Cabaret!" He turned. _

_"What?" The woman pointed to the TV set._

_"Don't you remember? No, of course you don't, you were so young then. You used to watch this movie with me all the time. And we would sing all the songs. You knew all the words--you were just the cutest thing…" She let out a small, content laugh, immersed in the nostalgia of the time she and her son spent together. Dennis stared at the screen, fairly confident he'd never seen the film before in his life. _

_But he couldn't let his mother know that. _

_He began to walk away again. "Yeah…that's great, Mom. I'll just be in my--"_

_"Come watch with me, Denny," she said, looking into his eyes. "Please? For old time's sake…" Dennis sighed, and sat down on the couch beside his mother. As he watched, he tried to picture himself at the age of six wanting to be the Emcee for Halloween. _

_It just wasn't registering. _

_But it made him feel good to know that his Mom was happy. _

_Especially now, when it mattered most. _

_Who knew how many moments they'd have left to do things like this? _

_He snuggled closer, and the woman ran one of her skeletal hands through his hair, smiling._

_Suddenly, the record albums could wait. Dennis had something better to do…_

_(End Flashback) _

The cars began to move, and Dennis refocused his eyes on the road, but there was no ignoring the siren that was going off in his head--an idea.

He would go ahead and audition for _Cabaret_. Never mind the fact that he was 35, or just a cab driver. Forget the fact that he was a little bit shy.

He'd do it.

Was he crazy? Perhaps.

But it seemed like the perfect way to pay homage to his mother, by performing in the play she'd loved so much.


End file.
